The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-10
DON M. DICKINsoNs SPECIALITY.
A Terror to Debtors Who Can Pay but
are Determined Not to.
From the Missouri Republican.

A Terror to Debtors Who Can Pay but
are Determined Not to.
From the Missouri Republican.
A Western Congressman who had just
| arrived in tho city tells the following about
Mr.. Don NJ. Dickinson, of Michigan, who is
looked upon as the coming Postmaster Gen
| eral:
eyes, / know Dickinson Of Michigan very
| well. l have been In some railroad cases
| with him. He is chain lightning. Dickin-
son has made the bulk of his fortune in the
practice of one legal speciality. He is the
| best collector of bad debts on the face or
the earth. Oh, no, don't mean small bad
debts. This is the way of it. In the first
| place, there used to be a good many people
with bad habit of failing every few years.
They always owed large sums Of money to
| Eastern merchants and capitalists, and did
| not mean to pay cent if they could help 1T.
To this class Dickinson was and is a mortal
terror. There is no device that the swind-
ling debtor can adopt that Dickinson cannot
see through, and he is as sharp on the trail as
| the best Partisan detective. The man who
can pay and won't is the fellow Dickinson
likes to get hold Of
About ten years ago-to illustrate what
| mean-there were three big failures in
Detroit. One firm had the sympathy of
everybody, but the others were rather UNI
certain customers The two doubtful con
Germs each owed over $3.50, 900 to New York
and Boston people. Among other creditors
was a New England shoe manufacturer for
large firm. This concern quietly retained
Dickinson as their counsel, and the largest
other creditor did the same thing Don't
let them know | am in the case said he as
he left his clients. He went home. The
agent of the New England firm came out to
see the broken merchant am talking about.
He was Germon Jew-generally good, re-
sponsible people, but when they are tricky.
look out! The usual tales were told of Gus
toners who could not come to time and all
that 1t really looked like a bad case, and
the Boston shoe concern was about to &C
cept settlement at 20c. on the dollar
Don't do it for day OF two,' said Dick
inson
Just how he was going to get the money
out of his Israelitish customer he did not
know but he was sure there had been some
swindling. 1t happened that in his house
hold there had been an extremely pretty
Irish girl living as domestic for many years.
She was faithful, neat and unusually intel
ligent, and the household was very much at
tached to her. About year before this she
had married a very industrious young coun-
tryman of her own, who was a thrifty
young boss drayman. That evening after
dinner Dickinson learned that Maggies hus-
band had broken his leg week or two be-
fore He went around to see the man
'''How did it happen, Pete? he asked.
"Well, ye see, sir, l was on a bit of
job that-but, sir, the man told me, sir, that
| must not tell
Nonsense, you can tell me, can't youp
said Dickinson, and why not tell Mr. Dick
inson, Peter? said the Irishman's pretty
wife.
$50 it came about that, two weeks before,
late at night, Peter had been draying goods
from the rear end of a store A heavy box
had slipped and broke his leg.
But why did you say you must not tell?
said the lawyer.
'''rm sure | don't know, sir; that's what
Mr. Katzenyammer told me, sir answered
the man.
'Katzenyammer; so you are working for
him, ehP asked Dickinson.
HE soon got out of the Irishman all he
knew.
81 see it, now, said he to himself, las he
went home
1.-THE next morning Mr. Katzenyammer
was rather surprised to receive call from
the great lawyer. He had not sent for him,
and was somewhat little uneasy.
Il am the attorney for MessrS. Blank, of
Boston, he began, very politely. They
have a claim against you of $47,977 so.
What do you intend doing about it, Mr..
Katzenyanmer?
'''Vy, hat failt, you know, Mr. Dick
shon; don't how much | can pay on de
tollar'
"'You must pay this in full, or will send
you to the penitentiany in less than
month"; said Dickinson, sternly. You have
been running your goods out of your store
at nights and sending them to Chicago auc-
ton houses to be sold for whatever they
would bring in cash, and you have filed up
your books with false entries
"'Fader Abraham screamed the other
as white as he could become; how tit you
flint dis out?'
ut don't matter how know it all, and
if you don't settle now, to-day, will have
you arrested before tomorrow night. You
are watched; you can't get away; so don't
try it, And with that Dickinson left 1t
happened that he had dropped on to what
the man had been doing. How he guessed
it he does not know himself. About 2
o'clack the man came around to see what
terms he could make None, sir, except
10Oc. on the dollar, was the only reply.
In three days the claim was paid in full
at is Just by such lightning strokes as
that that Don Dickinson has made his for
tune. If he does get into the Cabinet he will
hustle things, tell you"